"Seriously bmacd, ask yourself this - have you ever had a PROBLEM with a printer cable that was not gold plated?"
. I don't know. I've never used a printer cable that didn't have gold plated contacts, even my $2.00, 10' USB cables have them. The shield shell may not be gold plated, but there is enough contact area that there is no difference. What is important is that if the contact metals are dissimilar under the plating (dissimilar metals hasten corrosion), that the gold (or other) plating be perfect (no pores) and thick enough to not wear off. Otherwise, little hairs of corrosion will grow thru the pores of the thin gold plating.
. See the full treatise (with pix and diagrams) on the
Caig Labs web site - (beware, shameless plug here
😉 ) makers of some of the best contact cleaners and enhancers (and other technical/industrial chemicals) on the market in Deoxit and Pro Gold II. Use that stuff properly and it really doesn't matter much what the contacts are made of or plated with. I even protected my bike's handlebars and other plated parts with Pro Gold when I lived near the corrosive salt-bearing atmosphere of the Gulf of Mexico. Worked great - no pinpricks of rust for a year after the treatment.
.bh.
xtknight,
. Don't laugh - some PSUs now have gold plated contacts on their DC side cables - even I would cast a hairy eyeball if they started plating the wall cords... Helps to rake in the rubes and justify a higher price, doncha know?
😉 .bh.
